the question is, how many of us would understand the raw data? yes, we paid for it, but we're also paying for those scientists who know a heck of a lot more than the majority of us to analyze it and, using those skills, provide us with what it means. if all they released were raw data, it wouldn't be as useful to the public at large as, say, the statement that comets, far from being mere dirty snowballs, contain a creamy nougat filling, or whatever woo other, less qualified people might derive from the data.

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Gillian

"Now everyone was giving her that kind of look UFOlogists get when they suddenly say, 'Hey, if you shade your eyes you can see it is just a flock of geese after all.'"

"You can't erase icing."

"I can't believe it doesn't work! I found it on the internet, man!"